Monday, September 29, 2014

The Paradise of Onuk Island in Balabac, Palawan

No cellphone signal, no internet
connection and not even a TV set; for some it might be a disaster but for me,
Onuk Island is a paradise!

After bagging the 2011 National Geographic Photo
Contest (Places Category), Mr.George Tapan placed Onuk Island on the map.
Local and foreign tourists started to check out that perfect spot where he
captured his winning piece. It may be just a little dot on the Philippine map
but this island is truly heaven on earth (check here for discounted tours, transportation and activities in Palawan).

How to get to Onuk Island?, me and my travel
blogger friend, Julius, reached the
town of Balabac in the south-westernmost tip of Palawan. We coordinated with
the Local Government Unit beforehand and personally spoke with the mayor, Hon.
Shuaib Astami, about our plans on exploring some of the islands of Balabac.

Our main target was to check out Onuk
Island which apparently is privately owned by the mayor and his family. With
the permission to stay on the island for a night or maybe two (no fees or
whatsoever was collected from us, including the meals), we headed to Onuk
Island the next day.

Kuya Benjie rocks!

The gloomy weather (with some
occasional showers) didn’t stop us to hop on our outrigger boat with our very
friendly boatman, Kuya Benjie. After 40 minutes we reached the island. We were
gasping for air as we were getting near the island. The clear turquoise, cobalt
(and all the shades of blue) waters and sky were all in perfect harmony. Everything
was flawless and no words can truly describe its beauty.

We ran off the shore and jumped for joy as we docked on the island. The
caretakers of the island just watched as we collapsed helplessly into the
blindingly ivory-white sand. It took an hour before it all sank in. The sun was
nowhere to be found but it was all perfect.

The brouhaha ended when Kuya Benjie invited us for lunch. All of our meals were
served on the common area (on stilts) overlooking the sea. Fresh fish cooked in
different ways was our standard meal. What stood out was the grilled fish. It
was yummy!

We noticed how some of the structures were on stilts. Apparently, when
the tide gets high the sandbar vanishes leaving the structures ‘floating’. We
did nothing but chill and forget about everything on the outside world. We had
the island at that moment and I couldn’t ask for more.

That afternoon, we chitchatted with some of the caretakers over some bottles of
beer (we brought it from the mainland). We learned some interesting facts about
Balabac and the locals. They pointed out some mountain ranges on the south side
and revealed that it’s part of Malaysia. Crossing the border did cross our
minds but we forgot to bring our passports with us, just kidding. There’s also
an anecdote about some foreign guests who stayed on the island for five days
and didn’t wanna leave. It captivated their hearts despite of the simplicity of
the place.

A few more hours and the sun started to
set on the mountain ranges of Balabac. It was a serene moment.

Uy Julius may Egret!Ha?Egret ba 'yan?

Stars dotted the sky as it turned grey
to dark. More stories were shared as we lay on ourbanig mat and
gazed upon the stars. I wanted to just settle there and doze off but Kuya
Benjie rejected the idea for I will be floating any moment when the tides get
high.

Handheld, effortless Milky Way!

Waking up in the morning was just as
amazing as the island itself. The cloudy skies brought a very intense sunrise.
And then rainfall.

Show us the sun c'mon!

It was raining all throughout that
morning. We didn’t see it as a bummer but a chance to just relax and enjoy the
moment. If this isn’t Onuk Island, I would be grumpy all day and forever sing
the Rain, rain, go away song but I didn’t. I didn’t fret
because even at its gloomy state, Onuk Island still stands out. This is, by
far, the best island for me in the country.

The rain exhausted all its energy and
decided to take a breather around noontime. This allowed us to roam around the
whole island and check out what’s beyond the sandbar we’re stationed at.

Baby pawikans are such
a common sight here. Being the breeding ground for the old-timer pawikans,
the caretakers look out for some newly-hatched pawikans for a
few weeks and eventually release them when their shells are hard enough. This
is to prevent some predators to feast on them when they’re really young.

You're all free now!

We circled around the island and checked out its raw and rugged state.
Old structures, boats and dead trees covered the island. This certain roughness
exudes the beauty of the island in its purest form. I never wished that any
part of the island will be cleared out of the debris. It’s nice the way it is.

We didn’t fail to check out the underwater scene. Armed with our gear, we
didn’t go that far to snorkel. Corals in its healthiest state and some schools
of fish swarming all over are such a sight to see. Nemo was also there.

Just before we head back to civilization mainland
Balabac, Kuya Benjie asked us to hop on the boat for we’re going somewhere. I
generally hate surprises but this time I was quite thrilled about this certain
surprise. After a few minutes on the paddle boat, we docked at a sandbar quite
near the island. It is the sandbar that we’ve been eyeing forever. Kuya Benjie
was so sweet that he took note of our conversation the day before and thought
of bringing us here. He’s the sweetest I’m telling you.

Jumping off the boat, we, again, ran
off the shore and checked out the sandbar. It still is a part of Onuk Island
and it’s much longer and wider than I thought it’d be. We stayed there for a
while and just viewed Onuk Island from that standpoint. If I could just have
one, just one, material possession in this world I really wanna have something
like this. Ok, dream on. Haha.

The other end of the sandbar

The surprise didn’t just end there. Kuya Benjie was yet prepping up for
another surprise. He was slowly and quietly paddling into the waters when he
suddenly whispered something and pointed somewhere. And then we saw a
huge pawikan swimming around our boat. And then another one. And
then a bunch of them. We didn’t quite know where to look at anymore for they
were really surrounding us at that moment.

And then the giant clams and the corals. As we were cruising back to our
basecamp, we saw numerous giant clams and corals. No need for some goggles and
underwater cameras for the water was so clear that we just snapped some photos
from the boat.

No need for underwater cameras

Onuk Island is really a gorgeous place. Everything you wanted is here.
Clear, blue waters, white sandy beach, a sandbar, the pawikans, the
giant clams and the corals and the nicest caretakers. Ahh… The place where you
just wanna surrender. Then it was time to leave.

Seriously, we didn’t wanna leave the
island. We were contemplating on whether to check out some islands nearby or
just stay on the island for the next days. We were sad when we decided to leave
the island to explore more of Balabac islands. We’re pretty sure that we’ll be
coming back here soon. And yes, we are so coming back to my favorite island.

And I will be back... Soon...

Thank you so much Hon. Mayor Shuaib
Astami and Ma’am Lorna Gapilango for all the help. Special shout out to the
Onuk Boys especially to Kuya Benjie. Ikaw na talaga!

Hi! I am spanish guy and I am planning to stay at Onuk Island with my girl (two nights; end of May). I saw you posted Majors telephone number but that is a constraint for me as I am living in Spain. Is there any email adress or any other way to reach him? Thank you in advance. Ruben